Valiant Chattanooga FC Falls 3-1 to MLS Side Atlanta United

Published on April 15, 2026 under MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
Chattanooga FC News Release

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Chattanooga FC's 2026 U.S. Open Cup campaign came to an end Wednesday night when it fell to Atlanta United 3-1 at Finley Stadium in front of 5,292 fans, the second-largest crowd in the club's history in the competition.

CFC defender Yves Tcheuyap scored his first goal as a Blue to send the Finley crowd into a frenzy.

Chattanooga charged out of the gates early when Tate Robertson picked out Tcheuyap from across the pitch with a brilliant, pinpoint-accurate long ball. Tcheuyap buried it in the top right pocket of the net to put the Scenic City up 1-0 in the sixth minute.

Atlanta poured on the pressure with chances through the first third. Matias Galarza had a shot fly high and CFC goalkeeper Eldin Jakupović expertly handled his saves.

Cayman Togashi got one back for Atlanta in the 21st off of a sharp cross from Ajani Fortune to equalize.

Atlanta had another near-miss off the post just at the end of the first half, but the match went into the break deadlocked 1-1.

Early in the second half, Chattanooga forward Alex Krehl broke away from the midfield with speed, but his shot curled just wide of Atlanta keeper Jayden Hibbert's post.

Much of the second 45-minutes fell in Atlanta's favor. Fafa Picault's shot bounced off the left post and in after chaos inside the box to put the visitors ahead 2-1 in the 64th minute.

Tensions rose just before Pedro Amador scored in the 75th to put Atlanta ahead 3-1.

Chattanooga competed well through the remaining minutes, but were unable to gain momentum at the end of a physical contest.

"We came out in the first half and wanted to play and we wanted to be competitive," said CFC Interim Head Coach Richard Dixon. "We wanted to continue to build on everything we've been working on and creating chances early and often. I thought it was back and forth for the most part in the first half. They respected us enough to make some changes and put out almost an entire first team. They went up and the game kind of got away from us. Our team showed that we can compete. We just need to be clinical in key moments. We'll have to continue getting better at that week-by-week."

CFC has a quick turnaround with a trip to North Carolina on Saturday to face league leaders Crown Legacy FC, with kick-off set for 7:00 p.m. ET.

hattanooga FC - Atlanta United

2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup - Round of 32

Finley Stadium | Chattanooga, Tenn.

Attendance: 5,292

Final score:

CFC: 1

ATL: 3

Scoring summary:

6': Yves Tcheuyap - CFC

23': Cayman Togashi - ATL

64': Fafa Picault - ATL

75': Pedro Amador - ATL

Stats (CFC / ATL):

Possession: 32% / 68%

Expected goals (xG): 0.44 / 2.72

Shots: 4 / 17

Shots on goal: 2 / 6

Blocked shots: 0 / 4

Total passes: 311 / 647

Passing accuracy percentage: 78% / 91%

Corners: 1 / 4

Total crosses: 1 / 5

Offsides: 1 / 2

Goalkeeper saves: 3 / 1

Clearances: 20 / 10

Fouls: 11 / 15

Discipline:

23' - ATL, Matthew Edwards (Caution)

78' - ATL, Luke Brennan (Caution)

78' - CFC, Tate Robertson (Caution)

Lineups:

Chattanooga starters: Eldin Jakupović, Anthony Sorenson, Farid Sar-Sar, Mattias Hanchard, Yves Tcheuyap, Isaiah Jones, Tate Robertson, Daniel Mangarov (Ashton Gordon 63'), Damien Barker John (Anthony Garcia 81'), Alex McGrath (Darwin Ortiz 81'), Alex Krehl (Keegan Ancelin 63')

Substitutes not used: Griffin Huff, Nathan Koehler, Steeve Louis Jean

Head Coach: Richard Dixon

Atlanta starters: Juan Berrocal, Matthew Edwards, Ajani Fortune, Matias Galarza (Cooper Sanchez 46'), Ronald Hernandez Pimentel, Jayden Hibbert, Alexey Miranchuk (Miguel Almiron 46' (Luke Brennan 72')), Fabrice Picault, William Reilly (Tristan Muyumba 82'), Pedro Arnador, Cayman Togashi (Elias de Jesus Baez Sotelo 82')

Substitutes not used: Lucas Hoyos, Tomas Jacob

Head Coach: Tata Martino

Chattanooga FC battles Atlanta United

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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